Paisley Cafe

At first you may say «$ 15 sandwiches? I am not in that realm» but it is about 2+ meals for $ 15 and I am tall and can eat. The grits and shrimp we sooo creamy and the shrimp done perfectly. Great sandwiches and salads. Pro tip: asked for appetizer size of shrimp & grits tho only listed as an entreé; no prob.

Really great food here. I recommend the lemonades, they are very fresh and delicious! I ate the grilled cheese and I would definitely get it again. The only thing that was a little weird is that it’s a sit down restaurant where you pay in advance and the waitresses were not very friendly. Other than that, it was great!

I know there are a lot of folks that like this place, but it made both me and my husband VERY sick for days. Then the management there was very nasty about our letting them know they might need to examine their food-​safety set-​up or staff practices. I don’t blame them for being upset about hearing bad news, but it was a big deal for me, not only to have been extremely ill, but to have lost 4 days of work.

Paisley Café is a pretty decent breakfast/​lunch/​weekend brunch spot with some caveats.
I had somewhat of a difficult time finding Paisley Café since there is no big sign which indicates you’re at the restaurant. It’s in a building in Midtown which is a two-​lane road and is often busy.
Once I found the restaurant, I was pretty happy to be there. The ordering process is kind of weird, though and can be incredibly uncomfortable. You stand in a line which often wraps all the way to the back staircase which is often hot, muggy and uncomfortable. Hopefully you aren’t forced to wait there for too long or you may simply pass out from heat exhaustion. No, seriously.
Once you order, you take a number and have a seat. The seating is moderately plentiful but there aren’t a ton of tables for a place that gets so slammed on the weekends.
The food specials rotate and there is usually always some kind of breakfast special going on. I ordered a salad with walnuts and chicken and sampled one of my friend’s waffles and sausage. Both were pretty good — the waffle dish was full of unique flavors and wasn’t sweet, but was more savory.
The salad was nothing to write home about.
The price point here is fairly steep, though. You could easily spend $ 20+ a person for brunch.
Service was okay, nothing too splendid.
The food was pretty decent though and the spot is cute which is why I’m rounding up to 4 stars.

Paisley Café is one of my favorite lunch spots… love the unique dishes, fresh ingredients, and lovely vibe of the restaurant. Today I had the duck breast sandwich special, which was delicious. All their food is yummy, but the frustrating point for me is the wait. Sometimes the wait for a table. Other times the wait for drink refills. But, consistently the wait for our food to arrive is the most frustrating. Today we waited over 30 mins from order to delivery. This seems excessive. If you plan to go, you will eat absolutely delicious food, but you will wait for it. Come prepared for conversation with your lunch guest or bring a book.

This place is amazing. The staff was so friendly and helpful. Small but accomodating dining area. The menu has a lot of delicious looking items. We chose the Apple Gouda Sandwhich with bow tie pasta, and Collard and Sausage soup.

Updating my previous review, because I have been back a couple times since 2013. I visited last week for a working lunch with a few colleagues. I ordered a sandwich, and while it was definitely out of my normal lunch price range at $ 15, it felt ok to splurge since the quality of the food is so high. It’s nice to be able to choose a healthy side dish (edamame salad).
This is a cute place if you don’t mind spending a bit more on yourself once in a while. Could be a great place to impress a lunch date.

Fresh and delicious food. They have amazing dessert and a great brunch on saturday. Wish they were open on sunday! Not always the quickest place, but worth it.

My friends and I wanted to try new places in Tallahassee before December, and Paisley was great! It’s a nice little hidden spot with great ambiance. Inside it doesn’t look like much until you are seated. We ordered the sample platter, coastal benedict, and turkey with apple butter & brie pressed sandwich. It all looked and tasted good (I know tasted isn’t a word, but damn). Hospitality is wonderful, very friendly staff and owner.

Thank you for a wonderful brunch? You never disappoint every time I am in Tally visiting my little Nole we have to go see you guys, not only is your food amazing but the service is second to none… we love you Miami loves you, now come down to Miami and open a Paisley here…

Its not cheap. Brunch, after the tip, was 45USD but its was delicious well conceived food. The service was super. They look after their guests. I had the breakfast sampler, which included sausage, and they subbed out the sausage with a pouched egg and toast because I’m a vegetarian. It was awesome. Its hard to find the resteraunt and seating can be limited. Also, they have one bathroom, two actually, but a waitress said it was for employees only. All and all though, its a lot like La Madeline if La Madeline was hand craft and locally owned. Its a definite return trip.

This comfortable establishment is a must try when in Tallahassee. The menu is exceptional and very creative which as a restaurant owner, I truly appreciate. The friendly and very attentive service staff is why I have this, my first review, a 5 Star. We had several of the Brunch Benedict offerings which were very tasty, unfortunately, served a little cold. But the flavor was absolutely there. The Nutella Bread Pudding was really good! Really good! I’ll come back here when in town. Great job by the Staff!!!

This is now our FAVORITE place for brunch in the state of Florida, let alone Tallahassee! Our party of 7 came in at the height of brunch, had 2 Gluten Free and 1 Dairy Free — two being allergies and one Celiac. Deanna and staff bent over backwards for us and made us feel as though we were their only and main customers. Plus… the food (and mimosas) was all amazing! We will be back for sure!!! Again, special thanks to Deanna!!! –Nick

Disorganized. I can’t get past it. We were expecting a wait for Sunday brunch, but nothing like that. My party walked the back entrance in half an hour after the restaurant opened. A third of the tables were empty. It looked like people were placing orders at the register and getting seated. In retrospect, I should have asked the wait time. Because of the reviews, I waited in line longer than I should have taking into consideration the small children in my group. The hostess took down the number in our party and we proceeded to the end of the line going down a hallway then staircase with little to no air conditioning. I had to ask for water for the kids (none was offered nor was available for self serve while waiting). We were finally seated but had to wait another 10 minutes to order (our orders weren’t placed at the register) while our server also bused his own tables.
The server was nice. The check came too early; I wasn’t slowing down and my plate was only half full.
The food didn’t warrant the wait nor did it convince me to go out of my way to visit. I mostly really am ashamed I made my family stand in that hot staircase because of Unilocal reviews. Again, I know brunch is busy, but how they seat everyone and the waiting area set up needs to be reviewed.

Great little restaurant… We ordered the pasta with cheese sauce for our daughter, the prime rib panini and a side of lobster bisque for my hubby, and the roasted vegetables panini (vegetarian dish) for me… We enjoyed our meals and the ambiance, and we felt well taken care of by the hostess and waiting staff. We highly recommend this little jem :)

This place knows what they are doing. Why can’t every restaurant be like this? I’m not just talking delicious food, but their entire business model– which is down home southern hospitality, an involved excited owner and manager, and fresh delicious hand crafted and prepared food with a unique take on flavor.
This place starts with EXCELLENT ingredients first, then takes you on a mouth adventure where your tongue is the roller coaster car heading to TastyLand.
It’s kind of hidden in an underground part of the building, but once you find it I suggest sitting on their adorable patio and trying their delicious fresh fruit mimosas. My favorite was the pineapple strawberry mimosa. I had the filet press sandwich which the cut of meat was so tender and juicy I could literally just skip the bread and eat that. However, I wouldn’t skip the bread because it was a delicious homemade loaf. The super sweet owner Kirsten convinced me to get it with Munster.
If she’s there please talk to her, chat. Why? She’s an amazing bubbly person who is so passionate about her restaurant and you can see it in every detail especially the food.
My friend had the seafood Benedict which I was eyeballing the entire time he was eating it looked so good.
My husband had the prime rib sandwich with the blackberry preserve and he loved it as well.
Long story short: EAT HERE. There’s a reason the Unilocal community has come together in a pile of love for this place. It deserves it. Your stomach deserves it.

Tried the Paisley Café for the first time this morning for brunch, and was incredibly impressed! All of the great reviews are right on target. It’s not cheap, but the food is so good that you really get what you pay for. I will definitely be visiting again.

I absolutely love this place, and would find any excuse to come here.
The positive reviews are absolutely right.
When we came the first time, we were a little lost. The owner graciously explained to us the ordering process: you make a line and grab a menu and pay at the register before sitting. Then your waitress comes for you.
I was a little confused because I wasn’t sure how much to tip if we order and pay before. So I just bring cash for the tip.
The décor is very shabby chic and you can see them prepare your food. The sammiches are delicious, the broths and soups are flavorful, and the service was so kind and sweet.
I love this place.
Sitting outside during Spring would make this such at romantic date!

I’ve been back to this place a few times now and the initial excitement has worn off. The last time I was there was a frustrating experience to say the least. In general, the place came across as unorganized and everyone seemed all over the place.
When you walk in there is suppose to be a hostess (I guess). Based on past visits and no one to be found we were unaware and just got a table which copt some attitude when we asked if it was alright. After ordering our meals at the counter we waited for what felt like forever. It took so long that we even joked that we were being punished for not following the seating protocol. Finally the food came but they forgot my side. When I asked about it the server seemed confused because, he thought I already got it? I will say the food is still great. Lobster bisque is delicious and I still like the roasted vegetable sandwich. I think prices are high especially for lunch.

Darling little café that we had stumbled upon a year ago but they had closed for the day. Fast forward a year later and, while in town visiting, my best friend and I made sure to have lunch at this adorable little spot in the Midtown area.
They have a quaint patio area but because it was so hot, we opted to eat inside. The interior is adorably decorated… think shabby chic! We were a little thrown off by how this little place works but immediately saw the line forming at the register towards the back and headed straight that way. They had daily specials on a chalkboard on the wall in addition to their regular menu. Lots of brunch specials in addition to sandwiches and salads plus sides. We placed our orders at the register and paid, and food was brought to our table ala Pei Wei. There is one register so the lines can get backed up but thankfully it moved rather quickly. Just try to have your order ready when you get to the front so you’re not stumbling trying to figure out what to order.
I ordered the roasted veggie press and requested a side of the suggested sriracha ranch dressing to dip it in. Wow! That sandwich seriously impressed me. Don’t for once think that because it doesn’t have meat that it won’t fill you up. The artichokes, tomatoes and roasted red peppers coupled with the hearty bread are pretty substantial. The sandwich also came with a side so I opted for a cup of the lobster bisque. It was good but not the best I ever had. I also got a blueberry lemonade which was served in a little mason jar. Loved that!
They also have a dessert called the «slutty brownie» that looked very decadent… I’m regretting we didn’t try it so that will be added to my «to eat list» for next time!
The dining area in the front room accommodates several parties of 2 but I didn’t get a chance to see the second room. There’s also a long bar you can dine at if you so wish. Service was pleasant. There was someone in the dining room making her way around checking on tables. Make sure to tip at the counter when you pay.

Paisley Café is one of my favourite lunch spots in Tallahassee. It’s right in midtown, downstairs from Lucy and Leo’s (my family and I usually grab a cupcake after lunch!) and the rustic décor is comforting and beautiful. The food is unique and delicious– definitely a taste of something different and new. However, it’s very pricy and the staff gets overwhelmed when it’s busy. Also, the hours are very limited, which is unfortunate because it’s so delicious. Overall though, it’s a great spot for a sandwich or soup, and it’s cute décor and location make it a great spot for conversation!